Sustainability Served: Innovative Food Waste Recipes with Red Carnation Hotels

At Red Carnation, our commitment to sustainability is reflected in every corner of our operations and the experiences we create for our guests. Central to this mission has been our partnership with Winnow Solutions, a leader in AI-powered food-waste tracking system. Through the use of Winnow, our chefs gain real-time insight into what is being prepared, what is returned, and what is not being eaten. By understanding these patterns, teams can adapt menus, refine portioning, and design more thoughtful, resource-efficient cuisine without compromising creativity or quality.

Since introducing Winnow’s insights into our kitchens, we’ve seen measurable progress in driving down food waste – we're proud to report a 42% reduction since our baseline in 2019. It has sparked a wave of innovation among our culinary teams, challenging chefs to rethink how ingredients are used and to transform surplus into dishes that delight both the palate and the planet.

In the following collection, we’re proud to present a series of recipes from across our properties that showcase this creative, sustainable mindset, where every ingredient counts and delicious food becomes part of a larger purpose.

 

Executive Chef Christo - The Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa

Vegetable Atchar

From the Head Chef at The Twelve Apostles, this vibrant vegetable atchar transforms off cuts and stems into bold, flavourful pickles – reducing waste in a deliciously creative way.

Ingredients | Yields 20 

100g cauliflower – off cuts and stems (blend in robot coupe)

100g broccoli – off cuts and stems (blend in robot coupe)

200g carrots – off cuts (blend in robot coupe)

100g cabbage – off cuts and stems (blend in robot coupe)

100g baby marrow – off cuts

30ml salt flakes

30ml caster sugar

250ml white vinegar / Spirit vinegar

250ml vegetable oil

125ml 18-in-1 masala (substitute with medium curry powder plus a pinch of garam masala)

Method

• Place the vegetables in a bowl and sprinkle with salt and sugar.  
• Massage the sugar and salt into the veggies until slightly bruised. This will help the flavours absorb more easily and make for a tasty atchar. 
• Whisk together the vinegar, oil, and masala spice before pouring over the vegetables. Combine well using your hands. 
• Tightly pack the vegetables into sterilised glass jars, pushing them down with your fingers. 
• Pour the pickling liquid into the jars to cover the vegetables. Turn the jars upside down to distribute the liquid evenly. Store the atchar at room temperature overnight and refrigerate after the first day. 

 

Executive Chef Jonathan - The Lodge at Ashford Castle

Tomato Ketchup

From Ireland’s The Lodge at Ashford Castle, this tomato ketchup recipe cleverly repurposes tomato trimmings into a rich, tangy condiment – minimising kitchen waste while celebrating thoughtful, sustainable cooking practices.

Ingredients

500 g onion skins, ends and cores 

250 g celery leaves, tops, tails, trims 

5 tbsp rapeseed oil or good quality neutral oil 

100 g garlic skins and peels 

1 tsp fresh chopped coriander stalks 

10 thyme sticks, leaves removed 

3 rosemary sticks, leaves removed 

½ tsp black pepper 

2 kg tomato trim – skins, seeds juice, green tops, unused pulp, etc.

200 ml rice vinegar 

200 g honey 

2 cloves 

2 tbsp tomato puree 

Method

• Fry the onion, garlic, and celery until soft and a light-brown colour.
• Add all the other ingredients and allow to simmer for 90 minutes.
• Once done, blitz with a food processor and pass it through a strainer.
• Refrigerate in a sealed container, and it will last for around one month.

 

Executive Chef Martin - The Montague on the Gardens

Vegan Bacon

From The Montague, transform ripe banana skins into smoky, plant-based “bacon,” reimagining overlooked ingredients as a savoury, sustainable alternative that reduces waste without compromising on flavour or creativity.

Ingredients

4 brown spotted banana skins (green are no good, need to be very ripe) 

80 ml soy sauce 

1 tsp smoked Paprika 

1 tsp garlic powder 

40 ml maple syrup 

40 ml rapeseed oil 

Method

• Peel the bananas (whilst this recipe only makes use of the skins, the banana itself would work great in a banana bread recipe). Cut the skins into around 4 strips per banana. Use a spoon to scrape off the white from inside them, leaving just the peel.
• Make up the marinade by mixing the soy sauce, maple syrup, paprika, and garlic powder. Add in the banana peels and coat. Let them marinade for a minimum of 10 minutes.
• Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot, add the peels and fry for a couple of minutes on each side until golden (it may get a little smoky as the sugar starts to burn). Remove from the pan onto paper towels, allowing them to crisp up as they cool down.
• If you find it too salty due to the sodium in the soy sauce, either reduce the quantity of soy sauce or add a little water.

 

Executive Chef David - The Egerton House Hotel

Potato Gnocchi 

Inspired by the kitchens at The Egerton, this comforting gnocchi recipe reimagines leftover potatoes into something indulgent yet efficient. Soft, pillowy, and endlessly versatile, it’s a reminder that some of the best dishes start with what’s already to hand.

Ingredients 

500 g potato mash (fresh, dry mash works best) 

1 whole egg 

1 egg yolk 

80 g breadcrumb flour 

75 g plain flour 

25 g grated Parmesan 

1 pinch of salt 

1 pinch of nutmeg 

Method

•  Place the cold potato mash into a large mixing bowl and break it up so there are no lumps. Add the whole egg and egg yolk, then mix gently to combine. Add the breadcrumb flour, plain flour, grated Parmesan, salt, and nutmeg, and gently bring the mixture together into a soft dough. Do not overwork it (light handling keeps the gnocchi tender).
• Lightly flour your bench and divide the dough into portions. Roll each portion into long ropes, about 2 cm thick, then cut into bite-sized pieces (optional: roll over a fork or gnocchi board for ridges).
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a gentle boil and drop the gnocchi into the water in batches. When the gnocchi float to the surface, cook for a further 30–60 seconds, then remove with a slotted spoon. Toss with your sauce of choice or pan-fry in butter until lightly golden.

 

Homemade Breadcrumb Flour

At The Egerton, day-old bread never goes to waste. This simple yet transformative recipe turns surplus loaves into golden, flavourful breadcrumbs – perfect for adding texture to pasta, vegetables or grilled fish.

Ingredients

Leftover bread 

Method

• Preheat your oven to 150°C. Lay the bread pieces in a single layer on the baking tray. Place the tray in the oven and dry out the bread until it is completely hard and crumbly (about 10-20 minutes, depending on thickness).
• Remove from the oven and let the bread cool slightly.
• Place the dried bread into a blender or food processor and blend until it becomes a fine powder.
• Sieve the breadcrumbs to remove any large pieces.
• Store the fine breadcrumb flour in an airtight container.

Executive Chef Oliver - Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Wellness Retreat

Crispy Steak Salad

This crispy steak from the kitchens of Bushmans Kloof salad makes inspired use of venison or beef off cuts, transforming surplus trimmings into a flavour-packed dish that champions resourceful, sustainable cooking.

 

Ingredients | 10 Servings 

600 g thinly sliced off cuts of venison or beef

6 carrots julienne

6 spring onions julienne

1 cup of roughly chopped fresh coriander

4 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

 

For the dusting

1 cup corn flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp white pepper 

½ tsp msg (optional)

½ tsp garlic Powder

½ tsp ginger Powder

½ tsp onion Powder

 

For the marinade

100 ml low sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp grated ginger

1 tbsp grated garlic

1 Tbsp honey

1 tsp chopped red chili

 

For the sauce

300 ml low sodium soy sauce

300 ml orange juice

300 ml chicken stock

100 ml honey

3 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp garlic, grated

1 tbsp ginger, grated

Method

• Combine all dusting ingredients in a bowl and mix.
• Combine all marinade ingredients and set aside until needed.
• Combine all sauce ingredients in a saucepan and reduce until it has a syrupy consistency.
• Marinate the cuts of meat for 1 hour, before dusting in the flour and deep frying until crispy.
• Whilst still piping hot, combine it with the sauce and toss until well coated.
• Serve in a bowl garnished with the coriander, sesame seeds, carrots julienne, and spring onions julienne.

 

We hope these recipes inspire more resourceful thinking about food waste at home, encouraging creativity, curiosity, and confidence in the kitchen. By looking differently at what we already have, we can reduce waste while continuing to create dishes full of flavour and generosity.

Across Red Carnation Hotels, our chefs remain committed to experimenting, learning, and refining – ensuring sustainability is not a constraint, but a catalyst for even more imaginative cuisine.